


meet in the middle

by marvelslilo



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Past Lives, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Library AU, Louis and Harry - Freeform, M/M, No Smut, Shameless AU, Uni AU, basically harry and louis are soulmates, do i tag this no smut i mean there is a mention of a blowjob but nothing really, i dont even know what im doing anymore, im tagging shameless even though its only one part, most of these chapters are so self indulgent god, prince and stable boy au, zayn and liam arent even in this until the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-04
Updated: 2015-01-04
Packaged: 2018-03-05 08:44:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3113450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marvelslilo/pseuds/marvelslilo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Most little things slipped his mind as the lifetimes went by. He couldn't remember the first time he lost a tooth, he couldn't remember some of the friends he'd made, he couldn't even remember if he had always had always had curly hair. But Louis? He always remembered Louis.<br/>-<br/>Or, Louis and Harry are soulmates. Harry can remember everything. Louis cannot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	meet in the middle

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own any of these characters. This is a work of pure fiction. Except maybe the end the end isn't fiction. 
> 
> This whole thing is thanks to Annie (@parlslnterview on twitter) who did all of my editing because I'm atrocious at punctuation and grammar. I honestly would not have been able to do this without her.
> 
> Also thanks to Allegra (@mybfsadrummer) who forced me to finish this and I'm so glad she did. 
> 
> Some of these facts are totally made up and I do not claim any fact to anything mentioned in this story.

The first time he realized that he could remember, what he called "The Before", it was when he saw the eyes. He knew he had seen that specific color before. He didn't know how or why, but he definitely knew that shade of blue was special. The kind of special he wanted to see again and again.

-

Harry was eight. He was always eight when it happened. He'd wake up in a cold sweat from a dream he couldn't remember. It would happen on and off for a month. Then came the flashes. He would be sitting, or maybe standing, doing whatever it was eight (and a half) year old boys did and he would suddenly be blinded by a flash of light. Sometimes the light took a form, sometimes the light was a color. Usually, it was just a light. By the time we was ten, he could remember. Harry remembered every lifetime he had ever been in. He could remember his mother, Anne, and his sister, Gemma. He could remember every city he had ever lived in. Sometimes he was in the States, sometimes Asia or Australia. He could even remember one time he had been in Egypt, but that's a story for another time. Most little things slipped his mind as the lifetimes went by. He couldn't remember the first time he lost a tooth, he couldn't remember some of the friends he'd made, he couldn't even remember if he had always had always had curly hair. But Louis? He always remembered Louis.

-

Harry was working in the shop when he saw Louis. It was just another rainy day in Toronto when the blue-eyed boy came in the door shaking the excess droplets from his hair.

"Morning," he greeted without looking up, instead reaching for a newspaper on the stand. He seemed to think twice, and added a small green umbrella to his basket.

"Good morning," Harry nodded to him, freezing when the boy looked up. He quickly shifted his eyes when he noticed the odd stare that the pixie-like boy gave him.

"Can I help you, mate? Looks like you've seen a ghost."

"Sorry. Um, sorry. Funny morning." Harry shook his head, ringing up the boy’s purchase.

"Alright. Well see ya around." Louis walked out of the store without so much as a backward glance.

Harry went back to his work with a sigh. Of course he knew who Louis was. He always knew Louis. However, he also knew that Louis would never remember. Harry had been through this cycle too many times to count. He would meet Louis in a situation, and maybe if he was lucky, he'd see him a second time or even a third. But it never got far.

Harry didn't know what it meant. He didn't understand why it was Louis. The blue-eyed angel had been there in every single life. People came and went. It was never the same place or the same time. The only other constants were his mother and sister. Only Harry ever remembered and, after a lifetime in an insane asylum, he had learned to keep his memories to himself. He wasn't sure if he would ever see Louis again in this life. Nevertheless, this wouldn't be the last.

-

Harry was late. He had overslept because all night he had been awake working on that photography project for his professor. He had thrown on some clothes that had probably been worn the day before and hoped no one noticed. He pulled a comb through his hair in an attempt to calm his curly mane, and ran out the door hoping his bright green eyes didn't look too red from lack of sleep. To make matters worse, it was pouring down rain. Harry ran to the bus stop silently praying the bus wouldn't take too long to arrive.

When he reached the station, he pulled his hood up over his head, as if that was going to offer any protection at all, and looked at the bus schedule. One was to arrive within the next ten minutes.

"Mate, you look a little wet."

Harry's head shot up. Of course it's the day that fate offers him another shot that he would look like something the cat dragged in.

"You can share this umbrella with me if you want. Come on, don't be a stranger, mate." Louis’ carmel hair was down in a fringe, the damp air around them making it lie flat. But Harry still thought he looked wonderful. He always thought Louis looked wonderful.

"Thanks man. Didn't check the weather before I popped out this morning."

"I always make sure to bring an umbrella with me in this city. You never know when it's going to rain cats or dogs around here." Louis winked at him, his crystal blue eyes radiating the sunlight that was missing from the day.

"Where are you heading?" Harry asked as they stood under their makeshift shelter.

Louis looked up with a small smile. "I was actually going down to the city for the day, meeting up with my little sisters and taking them down to Times Square, but who knows with this weather!" He rambled excitedly, despite the gloomy feel of the downpour around them. "What about you?"

"College, I go to NYU for photography." Harry explained, fighting a yawn.

Louis studied him for a second before responding thoughtfully, "You look like a photographer."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Harry teased.

"Definitely a compliment." He blushed, before looking down. They fell into a comfortable silence, which Harry took advantage of, admiring the way the shadows fell on Louis’ cheekbones.

Harry had met Louis over and over again. He had memorized this face so many times, and each time he fell in love. Whether it was the shape of Louis’ nose, or the way his ears poked out from his hair, or the way his lips looked so pale and soft, and so, so kissable.

But as the bus heading towards the university pulled up, next to the one heading downtown, the two boys parted ways.

"See you around, mate!" Louis called, looking hopeful.

"Yeah, yeah, see you around." Harry replied, smiling softly to himself, as the smaller boy jumped up the stairs of his bus and slipped away, yet again.

-

"Are you sure you'll be alright, love?"

"I'm sure it'll be fine, Mom." Harry insisted, jostling his mother to the door.

"I don't want to leave my baby boy at college all by himself." Anne pouted, one hand on the door frame and the other on the wall, as if bracing herself if he tried to push her out.

"Mom, you still live thirty minutes away. I'll come visit. Oh, please stop crying Mom. I won't be by myself I'll have a roommate and plenty of people in my hall." Harry knew the drill, after all, he had been to college many times before.

"Please don't wait too long to visit, H. I'm going to get lonely."

"I'll visit so often that you'll get tired of me, mother dearest," Harry smirked.

"All right, all right, bye love, miss you already," Anne fake sobbed, giving him a hug and kissing his head- or attempting to, at least, only barely kissing his forehead, since Harry had outgrown her when he was fifteen.

"Love you too Mom." Harry closed the door behind her, shaking his head and going to back to empty his bags.

"Don't worry, mate, my own mom took an hour to get out of the door." A lighthearted chuckle came from the entryway. Harry spun on the spot at the voice and the boy stuck out his hand. "Louis."

"Harry."

"Nice to meet you. I'm across the hall myself. You wanna unfinish packing and head out to get some lunch?" Louis asked, tapping on the door frame lightly. Harry noticed how tiny his fingers were, before quickly shutting out the thought.

"Yeah mate, just give me a second to finish up. Any place you have in mind?" Like Harry would ever turn down Louis.

"There's a little bakery down the corner if you'd like, or we could just go down and explore the campus. It'd be an adventure just to find the cafeteria!" Louis chuckled to himself and Harry felt like asking him to laugh again just to make it his ringtone. Not that he would do that. That would be weird.

"Bakery sounds great, I used to work at a bakery when I was a kid," Harry added a little sheepishly.

"You must be a right cook then, aren't you mate? Cheers!" Louis beamed.

"I dabble," Harry blushed, quickly looking down and shoving the last of his clothes in a drawer. "Ready to head out?"

"After you my dearest chef." Louis chimed. He passed up Harry in half a second anyway goading him about his deer-like legs. "We're never going to make it out of the building of you stumble around like that, Haz!" The nickname slipped out of his mouth so calmly that Harry froze mid-step. The last time he had called him Haz was right after they had kissed for the very first time in a lifetime long ago, back when Harry was a stable boy, and Louis was a prince. A misty look appeared on Louis face, disappearing as quickly as it had arrived. Louis didn't even seem to register what he had said and continued on down the hall, rambling about some turtle his old best friend used to have.

"And then Liam was like, 'mate, you were only supposed to feed him once' and I was like... Wait, Harry, what are you doing mate, let’s get a move on!"

"Coming, coming, just, uh, had to tie my shoe," Harry stammered, hurrying to catch up.

When the two arrived at the bakery, they claimed a seat by the window and dove into their food. Harry didn't feel the need to talk very much as Louis filled in conversation around a mouthful of muffin. He talked about how he was originally from Cincinnati, he had six siblings, his mother had just gotten married to a smashing fellow named Dan, and he had two best mates back home, Stan and Liam. Harry nodded along, adding in bits about himself every now and then but he was mostly happy just to hear Louis talk. He probably already knew more about Louis than Louis even knew about himself..

"This was nice, I think we’re going to be good friends, Harry." Louis smiled.

Harry grinned back, as he stood to take his tray to the garbage. "Are you ready to head back to the main campus?"

Louis took his arm and proceeded to skip out the door. "The great city of Columbus awaits us, dear Harold!"

"Just Harry," he mumbled, even though he didn't really care. He had never cared when it came to Louis.

"Let's race," Louis yelled, taking off at a run. "Beat you back to the dorms!"

Harry shook his head as he chased the other boy down the street.

Harry had now known Louis for almost a full semester of school. True to Louis' prediction they had quickly become best friends and spent more time together than they did apart. Harry treasured every minute. Until the call came.

"I can't believe this.. It's bullshit, Haz!" Louis huffed, stomping around his room. "I can't believe she's making me drop out."

"To be fair, Lou, your grandmother is dying, she can't take care of the kids and your Nan by herself." Harry knew this was coming. Well, not this specific problem. But Louis wouldn't get to stay with him for long. He never does.

"Lottie could have done it!" Louis was livid, his eyes flashing with a mixture of anger and disappointment.

"Lottie is fifteen, love. She can't do that herself."

"It's starting to sound like you want me to leave, H." Louis muttered under his breath, turning to leave.

"You know it's not like that. Lou, you're my best friend. We can still keep in touch. I just think your family is more important here." Harry could feel himself tearing up, but he wouldn't give in. He would see Louis again.

"I know, Haz, I'm sorry I yelled. I don't want to be mad at you the last time I see you." If Harry was close to tears, Louis was worse. His eyes were red and wet and Harry just wanted to hold him.

"Come here, babe," Harry murmured, holding Louis in a tight embrace. "When do you have to leave?"

"Mom's coming up tomorrow in the morning. Can I stay in your room tonight?" Louis whispered against his shoulder.

"Of course you can, Lou." They shuffled over to Harry's bed still enveloped in each other. Louis fell asleep quickly, exhausted from his anger. He was beautiful when he slept. Harry wanted to hold him there forever. He hoped one day he would.

Harry didn't sleep that night, opting instead to watch Louis' soft breathing and run his finger up and down Louis' arm. In the morning, Louis woke up and got ready, hugged Harry for an eternity less than Harry wanted him to, and got in the car with his mom. Harry waved to the car until it was out of sight. He missed Louis everytime he left. He would always miss Louis.

-

If Harry had woken up every time he heard a gunshot, he would never get any sleep. The south side of Chicago made sure of that. Not that Harry was innocent of it himself; him and Gemma had been taught at an early age to shoot at anything that came at them the wrong way. For Harry, it was more about protecting his sister than actually trying to hurt anyone. This wasn't the first life that Harry had to be rough and tough in to survive, and it wouldn't be the last.

He knew the only way to get food for Gemma today was if he could somehow sneak it past the store clerk at the little run down grocery a couple blocks away. It made him feel queasy everytime he had to steal from old man Cowell, but Gemma came first.

It was still early as he snuck to the door, careful not to wake his sister in the other room. The air was still chilly in the crisp October morning, and Harry tried desperately not to think about how he was going to get Gemma a coat when it became too cold. He walked briskly down the street until he was across the road from the Food Factor. Harry fell into the act of pretending to read a sign, while eyeing the shop window to see when Cowell went to the back room.

When the coast was clear he darted across the street and ducked into the shop. Harry only ever grabbed the essentials: bread, milk, eggs, and occasionally a candy bar for Gemma. Loading as much as he could into his arms, he took off towards the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" A squeaky voice said from behind the cash register. Fuck. Harry should have known Cowell was going to hire some kid to help out. Of course, Harry didn't expect that kid to be Louis. He turned slowly hearing the click of a gun. Wouldn't that be a joke, being shot by his own soulmate. Which, right, Louis didn't know that.

"Look mate, I'm just trying to feed my sister," Harry said slowly, trying to avoid the gun barrel that was pointed in his direction. Louis took a quick look at what was in Harry's arms and looked quickly to the back.

"Ok look pal, I know how it is. I have a ton of siblings myself I need to feed. I'll let you go for free this time but I'm going to have to shoot this to make it look like I tried to fight, ok?"

Harry nodded quickly, smirking. "Do you even know how to shoot that thing?"

"We live in the south side, don't we?" Louis grimaced back. "Sometimes I wish I didn't know how." Harry nodded in agreement. He knew just what Louis meant. "Get out of here before Cowell comes back, I won't hit you, I promise." Louis whispered as they heard the door click in the back.

Harry took off at a run, darting down the street. A few buildings down he stopped, hearing the gunshot ring out behind him. He smiled to himself for the rest of the walk home.

"Gemma turn off the fucking light. It's two in the morning and some of us still need beauty sleep." Harry had heard his sister come in late. If he wasn't so tired, he would have wondered where she had been. Now, he just wanted her to turn off the light.

"Shut it, H." Gemma bickered back. The two of them bantered constantly, but they were all eachother had. Harry knew that if he needed help, Gemma would be his first call.

Harry muttered under his breath, walking to the hall to turn off the light himself, when he heard a second set of footsteps behind his sister.

"Oh. Uh, hey mate." Louis said, staring at Harry. Harry felt like Louis was looking into his soul.

"How do you know Lou?" Gemma questioned, looking between the two boys. Harry pulled his eyes from Louis to frown at his sister.

"Helped him check out at the store the other morning," Louis muttered. Harry held back a laugh. Apparently holding a gun to someone's head and then helping them commit theft was a new way of checking out. Harry was absolutely not thinking about the other ways Louis could check him out.

"That's nice," Gemma yawned, obviously not caring. "Well we're going to bed, night H." She grabbed Louis' hand, pulling him off to her bedroom.

Right, so this was new. Harry had lived through many scenarios with Louis. But Louis dating his sister was a first. Harry climbed back into his own bed, silently hoping this was all going to be a dream.

Louis was at their house almost everyday. It would have normally made Harry ecstatic, had Louis not been hanging out with Gemma the entire time. He never saw them kiss, but often he would see the two of them slip into Gemma's room at night, while he pretended to sleep. He tried desperately not to think about what was going on in the other room, let alone that it was happening with his sister, of all people. It got to the point where Harry would walk to the park, cigarette in his hand, just to get away.

When he did have to run to the store, he tried to make sure it was when Louis wasn't working. But one time, he couldn't help it. He was on his last cigarette and if he didn't have them in his hand when Louis came over later, he would probably do something he would regret later.

"Harry! Haven't seen you here in ages." Louis said cheerily when Harry walked through the door.

"You know us criminal types, never hit the same place too many times," Harry laughed darkly.

Louis frowned. "You're not a criminal, Harry."

"Whatever you say mate. Where's the cigarettes?" Harry was definitely not here to make small talk.

"You never hang out much with me and Gem," Louis stated. "Why is that?"

"I tend to avoid places where it's too happy for long periods of time." Harry muttered, throwing the pack on the counter for Louis to scan.

"So pessimistic," Louis tutted with a chuckle.

"Yeah, so, I guess I'll see you later?" Harry said, trying not to sound bitter.

Louis frowned a little before responding, "I actually have something tonight, tell Gem I'm sorry, but duty calls. She’ll understand."

Harry gave him a quizzical look before nodding and heading to the door.

Gemma had just shrugged when Harry had given her the message and headed to the kitchen to make a snack. "You got any plans tonight, H?"

"Nah, unless you have something in mind?" Harry and Gemma rarely went out together, but when they did, they usually ended up drunk.

"There's a bar I want to hit up, you coming with?"

"Might as well, let's do it sis." Harry was definitely going to get drunk, maybe dance on some hot guy, and try to stop thinking about Louis for at least half a second.

They got to the outside of the bar, and Harry froze. "Gemma, what the fuck are we doing at a gay bar," he hissed into her ear. Being spotted at a gay bar in the south-side was like a death sentence waiting to happen.

"You needed some action, you've been sulking for the past month." She hissed back, dragging him to the entry. Harry ducked his head as they went in, praying to whatever deities he could think of that he would not see anyone he knew.

They shuffled their way to the bar, and Gemma ordered him some pink drink with an umbrella in it. Harry downed it and felt a slight buzz. "Let's dance Gem." He slurred, pulling her towards the floor.

It wasn't long before he lost Gemma and was being handed drinks by tall men with fat wallets. The music was loud and the drumming in his head was constant as he danced with whoever attached themselves to his hips.

"Hey babe, you wanna get a room?" a silky voice whispered in his ear. Harry was too drunk to care as he let the velvet voice pull him towards one of the back rooms.

"Don't even fucking dare." The familiar voice sounded threatening. Harry knew the voice, but with the constant buzz in his head and a sudden feeling that maybe something was slipped into one of his many drinks, he didn't think he'd be awake long enough to find out who it was that was there to save him.

"Harry.... Harry stay with me, love. Harry where is Gemma?" The voice surrounded him. It sounded filled with fear and he wanted to reach out and tell the voice that he was fine. "Harry please wake up. I got rid of that guy... He slipped something into your drink and then pulled you away. I had to make sure you were ok."

"I'm fine," Harry slurred. It probably came out sounding more like a dying cat, but Harry felt he got the point across.

"Harry I can't understand you. Can you hear me?" The voice sounded tearful and Harry giggled. Why was the angel crying?

Suddenly he felt a harsh sting on his cheek and felt a stream of liquid go down his throat. Harry felt a lot more aware after that. "Louis? What am I doing on the floor? Why are you here?" Harry felt groggy and his head was pounding.

"Oh thank God," Louis breathed, grabbing Harry's hand. "Come on, H, let's get you out of here."

Harry latched onto Louis' hand as if it were a lifeline and allowed himself to be pulled from the club.

"I thought I was losing you there for a second, Harry," Louis said, the worry still apparent in his voice.

"You'd never lose me." Harry breathed, looking into Louis eyes. The blue felt like a beacon of safety to Harry and he had to stop himself before he got lost in the color.

"I really want to kiss you right now, so stop me if you don't want to." Louis leaned forward, his eyes closing. Harry felt himself close the distance before he stopped.

"Fuck, wait Louis. We can't."

Louis took a step back, looking like a kicked puppy.

"I can't kiss my sisters boyfriend. I can't do that to Gemma." Harry looked at his feet. Suddenly feeling a lot more sober. He heard a snort, which turned into a full out laughing fit, Louis struggling to breathe.

"Oh my god, you thought, oh my god," Louis huffed trying to regain his breath, "Gemma and I aren't dating, Harry, I'm fucking gay."

"How was I supposed to know that when you're always going off into my sisters room at night! I thought you two had been sleeping together!" Harry felt stupid. Had he ever seen the two of them act like a couple?

"We slept together, but we proper slept, Haz, like a sleepover. Never anything else." Louis was giggling like a five year old. He took a step forward. "Now that that’s out of the way. I'm going to kiss you." He leaned into Harry, pressing their lips together. Harry felt like he was on fire, but he loved the burn. As he moved against Louis, there was suddenly a tap on his shoulder.  

"Alright, if you two are done making out, I'd like to get home please." Gemma shoved her way in between them, rustling their hair. "My two favorite idiots finally pulling themselves together."

The boys smiled at each other as they all walked back to the Styles' house ready to face their hangovers together.

However, their honeymoon happiness wasn't going to last. Louis got the call one night as he was sleeping in Harry's room. "I have to go to the military."

"Can't you deny that or some shit?" Harry muttered into his pillow.

"No, love. I have to go for my ROTC training." Louis sounded like he was going to cry. "I have to leave in the morning."

"Fuck, Lou." Harry breathed, sitting up and holding the smaller boy in his arms. "How long?"

Louis looked at him sadly, "Long enough that you'll probably be out of this hell-hole by the time I get back."

"I'd wait, you know, if you asked me to." Harry would wait till the end of time for Louis.

"I'm not going to ask you to do that, Haz. You deserve your own life."

"My life is nothing without you."

"You don't mean that," Louis sighed, smiling sadly.

Harry meant it. He really did. But as Louis left the next morning, the taste of a tearful, goodbye kiss left on his lips, he knew he would see Louis again.

-

The Los Angeles Public Library opened at ten o'clock sharp on Monday morning, and Harry wanted to be the first one inside. He parked his silver Prius in the lot exactly four minutes before the opening. Of course, no one else was even there, but Harry had to make sure he got the books he needed.

After countless lifetimes where he had been forced away from Louis in an untimely manner, Harry had decided to start looking into it. He had so many questions. Why was it always Louis? Why did he remember it all, when Louis didn't? Why couldn't he, for once in his existence, get to keep Louis? Harry had toyed with the idea of karma, but for the life of him, he couldn't think of any reason why he never got his way. He had never done anything existentially bad, and he knew Louis hadn't either. Harry was dead set on learning as much as he could.

His green eyes followed the silhouette that was walking up to the front door of the library. The person was wearing a jacket that was two times too big and a scarf that covered their face. As they pressed the silver key into the lock and opened the door, they turned to scan the parking lot. The familiar blue eyes stopped on Harry before stepping inside, and letting the door close behind them. Obviously this was going to be more interesting than Harry’s original plan.

With a sigh, Harry got out of the car, and trekked up to the door of the library. Of course Louis would be the librarian the one day Harry wanted to research him. Fate was a fucking bitch.

The door creaked open as he walked inside. Harry stood in the doorway in awe, transfixed by the gorgeous ceiling. It seemed to be miles above his own head and the light of the morning sun bounced off it in a way that made it seem like it was on fire.

"May I help you, sir?" A voice echoed from across the room. Harry dragged his eyes away from the ceiling, searching for the sound. His eyes landed on a figure approaching him from the side of the room.

"I was just researching," Harry said, his voice bouncing off the walls of the empty room.

The smaller man nodded. "If you are looking for anything specific, I'm always happy to help."

"Could you point out any books about past lives?" Harry asked nervously.

"Interested in reincarnation? There's a whole section about that in religion. Did you know that the Hindu, Buddhist, and Islamic people practice it?" Louis spouted off random facts as he motioned for Harry to follow him. Harry grinned. No matter which lifetime he was in, Louis’ endless chatter was always the same. The pair approached the religious section and Louis led him into a book-filled room. "What are you working on?"

"Just some personal research. Questioning my existence. You know, the usual daily thoughts," Harry joked, picking some books off the shelves. They both flinched slightly at the sound of the door booming shut in the main hall.

"I should probably go out and see if anyone needs help. If you need me, just call. Name's Louis."

"I’m Harry," he responded quietly. Louis made a small wave, before heading back towards the main room. Harry turned back to his books, jotting down notes as he went.

As Harry worked, Louis continually stuck his head in every so often to have a quick chat with him before getting back to work. Harry worked long into the afternoon, filling up page upon page of scribbles and notes. The only helpful things he had come across were the words “soulmate” and “twin flames”.

"Louis?" Harry called from his spot by the window. He had books spread out around him in a semicircle, a pencil behind his ear, and pieces of notebook paper scattered throughout.

"How can I help?" Louis responded, popping into the empty seat across from Harry. He sat cross legged, placing his elbows on his knees, leaning forward to look at Harry's notes.

"What's your opinion on Soulmates?" Harry asked quietly. He pointed to a page in one of the books, "Or even, look here, what do you think about twin flames?"

"Twin flames is the whole deal about one soul being split into two, correct?” Louis started scanning the pages. Harry nodded. “And soulmates is the idea of two people being connected, not necessarily romantically but in a way that bonds them for life." Louis looked thoughtfully at the books around them. "I think, maybe we can have a lot of soulmates. Hell, we could even love someone who isn't our soulmate. But it would be kind of difficult to find someone who's literally the other half of your soul, don't you think?"

Harry chuckled to himself. "It could be easier than you think."

"What does this soulmate stuff have to do with reincarnation?" Louis asked, baffled.

"I have this theory," Harry began, "what if, after each lifetime, you were in a different place and time, but you always come in contact with one person. And you just connect with that one person, every time. But, you can never keep them for very long, not until the next life."

"That's a wild theory, but how would you remember all these past lives?" Louis questioned.

"That's where I'm stuck. See, what I've gathered is that, each half of the soul gets some memories, but you can only remember them in dreams. However, say there is a mishap in the universe and one half of the soul gets all the memories. The other half wouldn’t remember. So they'd go on from life to life with only one half of the soul remembering the other."

"What would it take for the other half of the soul to remember? True love's kiss?" Louis joked.

Harry considered this for a moment. "That's the part I can't figure out."

"Maybe there is some kind of spell or some shit, like in a fairy tale?" Louis said flippantly. "After all, it is called a ‘twin flame’. Maybe you would have to light some candles and mutter something in another language."

Harry snorted into his tea, shaking his head. "That sounds logical, Lou."

"You never know, mate."

They fell into a comfortable silence. It’d always been so easy with Louis, no matter what life he was in. Harry scribbled down notes as Louis picked at a thread in his sweater. Somewhere along the line, Harry drifted off to sleep, the pencil in between his teeth.

A while later, Harry woke up, and searched through the haphazard stacks of papers for his phone to check the time. The library was closing in an hour. He scooped all his papers together and put the books back on the shelf. Harry looked around for Louis before deciding to leave. As he slid into his car, he noticed a Post-It sticking out from his notes. There was a string of numbers and the words "if you come up with any solutions xx." Harry smiled to himself before heading home.

That night, Harry dreamed about London. It was the first place where Louis and Harry had ever met, the very first lifetime. Louis had been the prince of England and Harry had been a stable boy. Louis was a troublesome prince, always attempting to run away, often by horse. He had recruited young Harry to be his partner-in-crime and the two had soon become inseparable. Louis would always slip messages to Harry to have his horse ready at midnight so that the two of them could run away, never to return. They would usually make it to the first line of trees in the woods before Harry would complain of the cold, and Louis would bring him home,back to Louis' room with the warm fireplace, until the sun started to rise.

One night, Harry had snuck some wine from the kitchen before heading up the young prince's room.

"Louis, open up it's me." Harry had said, doing the secret three-fingered knock on the door.

"Did you bring it, H?" Louis had whispered through the wood.

"I'm not daft, Lou." Harry had whined. Louis opened the door and quickly pulled Harry inside. As the night wore on, the boys started to get tipsy. They laid on Louis' gigantic mattress, whispering into each other's ears.

"Harry?" Louis had asked.

"Yeah, Lou?" Harry slurred.

"You're very pretty."

"Boys aren't pretty, Lou! I'm ruggedly handsome"

Louis had laughed at that, snuggling closer to Harry. "I think you're the prettiest person I've ever seen."

Harry softened, before whispering, "Louis? Can I- can I kiss you?" His heart jumped into his throat as Louis paused.

"Of course you can, Haz." Louis murmured before pulling Harry closer, their lips meeting. They kissed like it was the last chance they’d get, tasting the wine on each other and breathing in the smell of each other's skin. Harry’s hands rubbed small circles in Louis back. He could feel Louis’ heart beating like a drum, and wondered if this is what love felt like.

As they broke apart, Harry whimpered into Louis’ neck and Louis giggled softly into his hair. "This won't be weird right?" Harry had whispered nervously, when they sat in a stunned silence.

"If it's all the same to you, I'd like to kiss you for the rest of my life." Louis had whispered back. If Harry never stopped smiling, it would be too soon.

After that night, the boys had become even more attached at the hip, always touching, always making sure the other was there.

Harry would grow to learn that nothing could last forever. One night, a storm had come and the castle was struck by lightning.  Harry had been in the stable feeding the horses when he saw the smoke. Running like he had never run before, he took off towards the castle. The smoke was thick, and parts of the roof had started to fall towards the ground. Harry coughed, pushing his way towards what he assumed was the prince’s room.

“Louis!” he screamed, searching for the other boy. There was never a response. Harry stumbled into a wall, crumbling onto the ground. As the world went out of focus, he saw his mother with tears streaming down her face.

“Come on Harry, we have to get out of here.” She had said, heaving one of his arms around her neck. They made it out of the palace, hands reaching for them, pulling them to safety.

Prince Louis had been lost that night. When the flames had settled and the search team went in, they brought out many bodies and found the survivors. None of them were Louis.

Harry woke up from his dream with two realizations. First, he could finish his theory. Second, something was burning. He jolted upright and ran to the kitchen.

"Bloody stove," his roommate Niall was screaming.

"Jesus Christ, Ni," Harry yelled back, shutting off the oven. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I was trying to make breakfast, you ungrateful little brat," Niall coughed, waving the smoke away from his face.

Harry snorted, "Let's go out to get food instead."

Niall shrugged with a smirk, grabbing his coat. "You're paying."

After breakfast, Harry headed back to the library for a second time. "Harry!" a voice chirped. "You're back!"

Harry turned to smile at Louis, "Hey man, yeah, I had some ideas. Hoped I'd run into you."

Louis smiled brightly. "Hit me with your best shot."

"What if, in one of the lives, something had gone wrong? For example, one half of the soul died or had brain damage, what if it messed up the connection?"

"That would make sense. But how would you fix it?" Louis said, sounding puzzled, tilting his head.

"What if you had to go back to the original location, the very first memory, and reconnect?" Harry mused. He would have to wait till his soul arrived in London, and he would have to find Louis.

"That could work mate, I don't know how you'd test it, but it's a good theory." Louis pondered, rubbing his eyes. He looked tired, and Harry wanted to kiss him.

"You get much sleep last night?" Harry wondered out loud.

"Nah, had this weird dream." Louis said, slightly shivering.

"Tell me about it," Harry prompted.

"It started out lovely," Louis began. "I was kissing this very fit bloke, and I think I was a prince or something with the way I was dressed. But then the building caught on fire and the boy ran the other way calling my name. I tried yelling to him that I was right there, but he couldn't hear me. Then it all just went black." He stopped, laughing under his breath, “Weird, huh? You must think I’m crazy.”

Harry felt like he couldn’t breathe. That must have been why their connection had shifted. That was why Harry could remember and Louis couldn't. Louis had been lost that night in the castle. Most had assumed he had either been killed by the flames or run off once and for all. He must have been crushed by debris, and since Harry had made it out alive, he got all of the memories.

"Earth to Harry," Louis teased softly. "Is my story telling that bad?"

"No, no, I was just thinking. I had a similar dream." Harry had to tell him. He had to tell Louis about this. Louis knew the theory, he would get it. "Only I was kissing the prince, and I made it out of the burning castle."

“If you’re trying to imply that you were my knight in shining armor, that is a fair comment, but in the future I’d rather you just fuck off.” Louis laughed, easing out of the tension.

Harry smiled. “Alright,” maybe next time, “just forget it it’s stupid.”

"It's fine, Harry, whatever. Let's just get back to your work, ok?"

Harry nodded, leaning back towards his notes.

"I'm sorry. I just think it's best that we don't do anything stupid, I'm leaving tomorrow to head back east, anyway." Louis looked away sadly.

Harry tilted Louis’ chin back up with his hand, kissing his cheek. "It was nice getting to meet you, Louis."

Louis hummed happily. "It was wonderful meeting you, Harry. I wish you the best of luck on your theory."

Harry grinned, gathering his belongings.

The next day, Harry didn't go back to the library. But it didn't matter, he knew he was going to get Louis eventually. He just had to get to London.

-

The morning of the Battle of the Bands, Harry was fired up. His band, White Eskimo, was about to smash the competition. They had been practicing for months, perfecting their performance, and were ready to kick ass. The battle was being held at the Hard Rock Cafe near Paris and the band had been exploring the city for the past two nights, scoping out the performance area.

"Lads, this is about the time where a lead singer gives a huge pep talk about how we can win this, we will be the champions. What's that one song? We are the champions, my friends," Harry sang, earning him a pillow to the face. "Fine, you lot can be grumpy, but if you're not down in the lobby in thirty minutes, I'm kicking you out of my band."

The rest of the band grumbled at him as he skipped out of the room. His group had been friends since they were in primary school. They had grown up banging on tables with pencils and now, they were in Paris, about to perform for a little over 200 people. It was a little overwhelming, if Harry was being honest.

He headed down to the breakfast room, grabbed a tea, and plopped in a seat in front of the television. It was playing a morning cartoon and Harry snickered at some of the one-liners. He tried not to think about when he would next be in London. In fact, he never tried to dwell too much on the future or the present. If he thought about every lifetime, he'd probably be sick to his stomach.

Soon, his band joined him and they headed over to the club. They were second to last to perform for the night, so they had plenty of time to scope out the competition.

"That band over there, I've heard they have won four battles before this," Nick grunted, nodding to a group of girls.

"Not too bad looking. Even if we lost, it wouldn't be that bad if we happened to meet up with them sometime right," Niall joked, as he eyed the girl group’s lead singer.

Harry winked at his friends. "Not my type."

"Mate, I've always been grateful that you play for a different team. With that dimpled charm of yours, every lady would flock to you instead of yours truly." The group laughed as Niall punched Harry lightly in the arm.

"I like what I like," Harry said shrugging.

As the battle started to heat up, the room got louder. It was definitely packed beyond capacity, but the head splitting noise gave Harry a rush of adrenaline. He felt like he could rule the world. You know, after he beat this competition. Most of the bands were good, but they always saved the best for the end. Before White Eskimo was a band called The Rogue and after them was a boy named Ed Sheeran. Harry knew of Ed. They had been at some of the same parties before. Ed was a cool guy, and if his own band didn't win, Harry thought he would be fine if Ed did.

The Rogue was another matter. They had signed up last second so Harry hadn't had time to look into them, but from the crowd of girls starting to gather by the stage, he figured they must be pretty good.

"Harry, mate we have to go backstage and prep," Niall said as he pulled Harry towards the door.

As they reached the doorway, the band walked out and the lead singer called out, "Hello ladies and gents, I'm Louis, and this is The Rogue."

Fate was such a bitch.

"Harry, you never get stage fright." Niall was pacing nervously, tuning his guitar.

"I'm fine, Niall, just a little lightheaded."

"Well, get yourself un-lightheaded in the next five minutes so we can go out there and beat these bands."

Harry shook his head, standing to get in position. Why was it that whenever Louis showed up, Harry was never prepared? All he could do now was hope he didn't mess up, and then he was going to get incredibly shitfaced. .

"Good luck boys," a voice called from behind them.

"Thanks mate, you guys just smashed it. Tough act to follow," Nick said, smirking at the boys from The Rogue.

"I'm sure you'll figure out something," Louis replied, winking at Harry. The Rogue walked away, heading back into the crowd.

"Up next, White Eskimo!" the announcer yelled from on stage. The boys ran on, greeting the awaiting crowd.

"I hope you all are ready to have a spectacular time. I'm Harry, there’s Niall on guitar, and Nick on drums. Let's do this!"

The band played their set, savoring the cheers of the crowd. A few repeat fans sang along to the boys’ original songs. But soon enough, White Eskimo's time slot was up. They took a group bow, basking in the whoops and hollers coming from the audience.

"Shit, man! That was such a fun gig!" Niall shouted once they got backstage.

"We fucking rocked that," Nick agreed. "Now let's go get some drinks and wait for results."

Harry clapped his band members on the back as they headed back into the crowd.  The trio headed over to the bar and passed around a set of shots, downing them quickly.

"You lads did fantastic," praised a voice coming from Harry's left.

"Thanks mate!" Niall said, lifting his glass in cheers. "You're Louis, right? From The Rogue! You guys were great!"

"Not as great as you guys, but it's appreciated," Louis responded ducking his head. His blue eyes peeked up at Harry's. "Can I buy you a drink?"

"I would be honored. Can't wait to get home and tell all the lads that a famous band member bought me a drink!" Harry laughed.

"Oh buzz off," Louis chuckled, his eyes glinting. "What are you guys doing after they announce the winner? A couple of the other bands are all heading to a pub if you want to join?"

"I'm always down for a drink," Niall agreed. Nick nodded his head, too, looking to Harry.

"We will be there," Harry agreed.

"Cheers!" Louis said with a grin. He leaned in closer to Harry's ear. "Maybe you can have more to tell your lads about, after that."

Harry swallowed as Louis walked away laughing. He wasn't sure if Louis had intentionally brushed his hand over Harry's as he had walked away, but he wasn't one to complain.

"Time to announce the winner of our battle of the bands!" The announcer called from the stage. Slowly, he pulled the slip of paper from the envelope, opening it up. "The winner is... Ed Sheeran! Congratulations!"

The crowd erupted in applause. Ed had always been a fan favorite, so it wasn't a surprise.

"To the pub!" someone who sounded suspiciously like Niall yelled.

It was packed. It seemed almost every band had arrived at the club, half of them already drunk. Harry found himself in the middle of the dance floor with a girl from the band Niall had been watching.

"Excuse me madam, but can I take your partner?" said a cheeky voice from behind him. The girl must have said yes because suddenly there was a figure behind him who was definitely not a girl. Hands slid down Harry's sides, reaching his hips as they swayed to the music that was blasting around the room.

"Do you want to take this somewhere else?" Louis said, whispering into Harry's ear. Harry almost broke his neck with how quickly he nodded in response.

Louis led him into the nearest bathroom, locking the door behind him. "You're very lovely, did you know that Harry?"

"I've been told," Harry breathed back.

Louis hummed, reaching into Harry's personal space. "I'd really, really love to get to know you."

"Well," Harry gulped, "If you want."

Louis grinned victoriously, sinking down to his knees.

"Louis?" Harry asked suddenly, lost in the daze of alcohol and _louislouislouis_. "Do you believe in fate?"

"Don't ask me stupid questions when I'm about to suck your dick, Harry." Louis shot back with the wave of a hand.

"Right, right. Well get on with it."

They exited the bathroom a little later, rejoining the crowd of people. Everyone was a lot more drunk and a lot less steady.

"I should probably get Niall and Nick out of here before they do something stupid." Harry breathed into Louis neck. The two couldn't stopped touching each other.

"It was nice meeting you, Harry." Louis said, tightening his grip on Harry's side.

Harry murmured into Louis skin. "Maybe we will meet again."

"You'd be the kind of person that would believe in that kinda shit, wouldn't you fate-boy?" Louis laughed softly.

"You never know." Harry smiled, kissing Louis goodbye.

-

It was Sunday and Harry was jumping in his seat. The Script had announced a tour and his mum had gotten tickets for him and Gemma. They were heading to Manchester now.

Gemma turned in her seat, "Haz, please just sit down we will be there soon."

"Gem, how can you be so calm," Harry argued, "we're going to see The Script!"

Gemma shook her head, laughing at her little brother. The rest of the ride was full of energy as they approached the arena.

There it stood. The O2. It loomed over them as Harry stood in line, clutching his ticket tightly.

"Gemma," Harry pleaded, "Gemma, Gemma. I have to pee."

"Jesus Harry, we just got here." Harry gave her his best puppy dog pout. "Fine, go. I'll go get our seats."

Harry rushed off in the direction of the bathroom. He turned the corner quickly, and slammed into a warm body.

"Fuck, sorry mate." the boy apologized. "Wasn't watching where I was going."

"No sorry, it's my fault. I couldn't slow down!" Harry scampered back to his feet, making eye contact with the boy. Fuck."Holy fucking shit." Louis said, ignoring the gasp of a scandalized mother standing nearby. "This cannot be happening right now."

Harry suddenly felt extremely light headed. What was happening to him?

Louis took one last glance at Harry, and a desperate look crossed his face before he took off down the hall. Quickly dodging other people and disappearing from sight.

Harry fainted.   
  


Gemma found him, gave him some water and the two enjoyed the rest of the concert. But Harry couldn't get it out of his mind. Louis looked terrified when he saw Harry. He had run away from him.

Gemma had taken Harry to the doctor after they had arrived back home. She had claimed it wasn't normal that Harry was blacking out, and he certainly wasn't going to tell her why. He didn't even know it himself.

"It was probably just too much excitement from the concert, dear," the doctor said, handing Gemma some forms. "Make sure he just gets a ton of rest and drinks a lot of water."

Water and sleep was great for his head. But what was he supposed to do when he could feel his heart snapping?  
  


A few years later, Harry found himself waking up way too early for his own liking. "Harry, let's go, if you're going to make it to the audition we have to leave soon," his mother whispered, shaking him awake.

Harry yawned, sitting up to stretch out his limbs. It was way too early for this to be happening. His mother had filled out the audition slip for the new season of X-Factor and was practically forcing him to go.

They stood in line for hours and the line seemed to stretch for miles.

"Mum, I'm never going to make it. Look at all these people," Harry fretted. He actually kind of wanted this now. He had always loved singing. It gave him a feeling of freedom, like he could do anything he wanted.

“Next,” the voice called, alerting Harry that it was his turn.

"Good luck, baby," Anne called, shuffling Harry through the door. He walked quickly towards the stage.

"What's your name, son?" Simon Cowell, _the_ Simon Cowell, said from the judges booth.

"Harry Styles, sir."

"What do you do Harry?" Simon said, smiling. Smiling was good right?

"I work in a bakery." Harry said, feeling a small smile tug on his lips.

"What kind of bread is your favorite?" He sounded sarcastic, but Harry answered him anyway.

"I think my banana muffins are the best, sir," Harry responded cheekily.

Simon laughed. "Well, go ahead and sing for us."

Harry sang, and when the final notes of 'Isn't She Lovely' rang out in the theatre, there was silence. Harrys palms were sweating and he could feel himself getting hot.

"I think.." Simon began. "I think that's most definitely a yes."

Harry felt like his cheeks were going to break with how big he was smiling. "Thank you so much, sir, I won't let you down, sir."

Simon just smiled.

"Harry!"

"You did amazing!"

"I'm so proud of you!"

The voices surrounded him, making his heart feel like it was going to explode. His family surrounded him, clapping him on the back and giving him the biggest hugs.

"Give the boy some space!" Anne shouted pushing her way to the middle. "I'm so proud of you my boy."

Harry hugged her tightly. "Thank you for making me do this mum."

"It was my pleasure, H."

Harry looked around at his family and friends. He loved every one of them more than they could imagine. But there was one hole. A Louis shaped hole.

His family headed off to find some food and he slipped off to the bathroom. Harry had just finished washing up when the boy came in.

"Shit. Sorry man." Louis. Harry looked up quickly, fixing himself.

"It's fine," Harry said cautiously.

Louis rubbed the back of his neck. Harry watched him. He seemed like a scared animal and if Harry made any sudden movements, he'd flee.

"Your audition was really fucking good, mate." Louis finally said. His voice was soft. He seemed just as cautious as Harry felt.

"Thank you," Harry whispered.

“You know, you could really go far in this thing. My own audition was shit, barely got past the judges.” Louis smiled awkwardly. “Butchered the Plain White T’s song.”

“I’m sure you did wonderful.” Suddenly, there were soft lips touching Harry's own, but they were gone as soon as they came.

"Shit, I'm so sorry. I couldn't help it, I'm so sorry," Louis sank to the floor, tears welling up in his eyes.

Harry rushed to his side, reaching for his hand. "Louis please look at me. Please?" he begged.

"I remember. Haz, I remember," Louis whispered. It was almost too soft to hear. "And then I fucked it up."

"Louis, fuck, no. You didn't mess anything up." Harry could feel his eyes starting to get wet.

"I looked it up. After- after The Script concert. All your memories hit me. Did you know the O2 was built on the same site as an old London castle?" Louis' eyes were huge as he looked at Harry. "Everything came flooding back as soon as you looked at me."

"Why did you run?" Harry felt desperate. He didn't want to let go of Louis.

"I got scared, H. You've been patient with me lifetime after lifetime. I didn't even know who you were." Louis cried, squeezing Harry's fingers. "When all those memories came back, I didn't know what to do. I just ran. Full circle, huh? I've always tried to run from my problems."

"I've always loved you, Lou. Always. I would go through thousands more lifetimes if it meant I could see you again." Harry shifted himself so that he could sit against the wall next to Louis.

"You're too good for me, Harry Styles." Louis laughed sadly.

"Please don't leave me." Harry murmured, leaning his head on Louis' shoulder.

"Nothing could come between you and I, Haz." Louis kissed Harry gently, his hands resting on either side of Harry's face.

"The final contestant who's made it through is: Tom Richards," Simons voice echoed in the silent auditorium.

Harry looked at Louis from across the room. They both had tears in their eyes. Everyone was shuffled off the stage, the rejects all stifling their cries.

"Before you all leave, I'd like to see these people," Simon said, holding a list, "Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and Harry Styles. Please follow me."

"He's probably going to make us cry. You know a good bit of TV" Harry sniffled.

Liam reached back to pat his shoulder. "It'll be alright mate." Harry liked Liam, he was the most competitive of the small group of boys. He had always bickered with Louis during their days at bootcamp but the two had become good friends, and if Louis liked someone, Harry usually did too.

Harry scooted closer to Louis, craving his comfort. He felt the older boys fingers brush by his and smiled. Zayn looked back at the pair, noticing their hands. He sent a soft smile to Harry before turning back. Harry liked Zayn, too. The boy was shy, and had refused to dance. But he had showed Harry his art once and Harry wondered if the boy knew how talented he really was.

"Boys," Simon began once they all stood on stage, "You’re just too good to let go. How would you like to be a group?"

They five young boys froze. Niall was the first to step forward. "Are you messing with us?" His Irish accent sounded offended. Good old Niall. He was always so bubbly and ready to make everyone happy. Niall had always been there for Harry. He sometimes wondered if the blonde boy knew of their history because he would sometimes see the boy give him knowing glances.

"Not messing with you," Simon said with a wink.

The stage erupted as the boys started to cheer, clapping each other on the back. Harry felt himself look at Louis quickly before reaching for him and jumping into his arms.

Louis whispered in Harry's ear his breath tickling the younger boy, "maybe this time, it's forever."

-

**EPILOGUE**

"It's five minutes to show time, where the hell are Louis and Harry?" head of security Paul Higgins was holding a clipboard and shouting to whoever would listen.

"Do you really want to know?" Zayn asked, looking up from his phone. The boy was stretched out on the couch, his legs hanging over Liam's lap.

"Not particularly," Paul said sarcastically, "but I need them here."

"Niall went to look for them, it'll be ok mate." Liam's piped up reassuringly.

"It's never ok with those two."

"Banana bomb!" A voice shouted jumping up from behind the couch.

"Harry bloody Styles, I swear to god, I will lock you on that tour bus if you do not stop these shenanigans."

"Stop with your tings at my boy!" Louis yelled, climbing onto Paul's back.

"I hate my job." Paul muttered with a fond smile as he shepherded the five boys onto the stage.

After the concert, four shadows headed out to the lot. Niall, Zayn, and Liam heading one way, Harry going the other. Louis had fallen asleep after the show and Harry had offered to carry the smaller boy.

"Night Li, night Ni, night Z," Harry whispered to the other three as he carried Louis to their own bus.

"Night, Haz," the other three called back.

Harry climbed the stairs and lowered Louis into his bunk.

"Cuddle me, love," Louis murmured, making grabby hands at Harry.

"Did you fake sleep this whole way just so that I would carry you back here?" Harry accused.

Louis hummed, ignoring the accusation. "Love," he whined, holding out the last syllable.

Harry huffed, jokingly, climbing into the bunk with Louis, who immediately hooked an arm around Harry's chest, pulling him closer.

The last thing Harry heard before he drifted off to sleep, was Louis singing in his ear, "nothing can come between you and I."

**THE END**

 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope at least one person enjoyed this, so if you did please leave a comment or a kudos!
> 
> You can find me at @marvelslilo on twitter or gallougher.tumblr.com


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